Folding box or basket.



No. 791,272. PATENTED' MAY 30, 1905. G. M. LANE & J. J. CARROLL.

'FOLDING BOX 0R BASKET.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1904.

UNITED STATES.

Patented May 30, 1903.

PAT NT OFFICE.

GEORGE M. LANE AND JAMES J. CARROLL, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

FOLDING BOX OR BASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 7 91,272, dated May 30, 1905. 7

Application filed. Noveinhei 2, 1904. Serial No. 231,081.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE M. LANE and JAMES J. CARROLL, citizens of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Boxes or Baskets; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

- Our invention relates to improvements in folding boxes or baskets; and its object is to provide a simple, strong, and durable. device that can be opened out flat for storage or packing for shipment or folded in box or basket form for use, to provide suitable detachable fastenings for the same, and to'provide the device with various new and useful features hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The device consists, essentially, of a blank formed of a suitable piece of -material, preferably tough heavy paper or cardboard,-and having the outline of a right-angled parallelogram and also having the end portions suitably divided, so that it may be folded in box shape, together with reinforcing-plates for the sides, said blank also having fasteningstrips and a bail pivotally attached thereto and suitable openings formed in the blank to receive the fastenings and bail, as will more end portions.

fully appear by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of our device opened out for storage or packing for shipment; Fig. 2, an edge view of the same; Fig. 3, the device arranged for use, and Fig. 4 a vertical section of the same arranged as in Fig. 3.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all of the figures.

The central part 1 of the blank constitutes the bottom of the box or basket when formed up for use. 2 2 are the side portions. 3 3 are the inner end portions, and 4/1 the outer To keep the sides flat when in use, they are preferably reinforced by thin plates 5 5, preferably of wood, and the bottom is preferably in like manner stiffened and 5 supported by suitable strips 13. The inner end portions 3 are severed from the outer end device is formed up these innerend portions abut against the ends of the reinforcingdates and hold the same from caving inward. .The inner end portions are thus attached to the ends of the bottom and the outer end portions attached to the ends of the side portions. The paper or cardboard is also scored or crimped along the dotted lines to facilitate folding it at right angles along said lines.

' To effectually and detachably secure the device when formed up for use, we provide strips of suitable material, preferably of sheet metal or flat Wire, and pivotally attach the same at one end to the inner surface of the inner end sections 3, near the outer edge thereof, as at 8, whereby when the device is opened out flat these strips may be turned inward on the parts 1 and 3 and hold them in the same plane, and when thedevice is formed up for use these strips are turned upward and thence bent outward and downward on the outside of the ends, and thus embrace and secure the three parts 1 and 4 at their upper edges. To further secure these end parts, openings 11 are formed therein, which will be opposite each other when the device .is formed up for use, and the end of the strip 7 is inserted therein and clenched on the inside, as illustrated in Fig. 4., A strip 9 of flexible material is also provided to form a handle, which strip is piv-' otally attached to the inner surface of one side near the upper middle thereof, as at 10, and this strip is turned upward when the device is formed up and then bent in an arch to form a suitable handle and its end inserted in a suitable opening 12 in the opposite side. These strips 7 and 9 are preferably of material that will bend readily and will not break by bending a number of times. The device can thus be repeatedly arranged for use and after using the end fastenings and handle detached from the openings and the device opened out for storage or packing insmall compass. We are thus able to provide a small box or basket, which can be repeatedly used for shipping berries, fruit, or other small articles or for other like purposes and after using can be profitably preserved and returned to the shipper for use again instead of becoming practically worthless after once using.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a blank having a bottom portion, a side portion at each side of the bottom portion, three separate end portions at each end and severally attached to the respective bottom and side portions and also provided with openings for the end fasteners, the Whole adapted to be formed up in box shape, and end fastenings consisting of flexible strips and pivoted on the inner surface of the inner end portions and near the outer edge thereof, and also adapted to extend upon the inner surface of the end and bottom when they are opened out flat and to be turned on their pivots and extended over the upper edges of the end portions and thence down on the outside of the same and thence through the openings therein.

2. The combination of a box having a bottom portion, two side portions connected to the bottom portion and six end portions separately connected to the ends of the bottom and side portions, openings in the end portions to receive the end fastenings, an opening in one side portion to receive the handle, flexible strips for end fastenings, and pivoted to the inner end portions near the outer edge thereof, a flexible strip for a handle pivotally attached to one side portion near the outer edge thereof, said end fastenings and handle being adapted to be turned on their pivots and extend upon the inner surface of the blank when same is flat, or to be turned on their pivots and inserted in said openings when the device is folded.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE M. LANE. JAMES J. CARROLL.

WVitnesses:

LUTHER V. MoUL'roN, GEORGIANA CHAOE. 

